Beyond X's and O's: Cardinal Lacrosse - go west with purpose

O you daughters of the West!?
O you young and elder daughters! O you mothers and you wives!?
Never must you be divided, in our ranks you move united,?
Pioneers! O pioneers!
- Walt Whitman, excerpt from Pioneers! O Pioneers!

O you daughters of the West!

Playing off the words of Walt Whitman’s now famous Levi’s commercial, Amy Bokker is drawing women’s lacrosse players to Stanford through a culture of unity and excellence. If not for her friendly and up-beat personality, Bokker is a name to keep tabs on for her consistent rise toward lacrosse prominence. In her short tenure as head coach at Stanford her teams have tied and broken the all-time wins per season mark, made the school’s second appearance in the NCAA tournament, and snagged two conference championships. In only two seasons, Bokker has begun to establish a shift in culture with her Cardinal squad, making NCAA tournament success a regular goal. A bronze medal stint in the World Cup as an assistant coach with Canada and her recent appointment to the U. S. National Team coaching staff, further confirm that Bokker is an ever-rising star. While Stanford has long been respected as a unique and challenging option for lacrosse players nationwide, Bokker’s jump to the west coast is proving a pioneering move of tremendous potential.

O you young and elder daughters!
Bokker sets a unique example for her players. She has studied sport psychology at the graduate level, flown in one of her professors for a team retreat, reads research articles and books about coaching development, and seems committed to progressive approaches to building up her teams and athletes. With eight seniors last season, fall-ball became a leadership showcase. Each senior chose a role. One was the Debriefer, taking time out of practice to share likes and dislikes and how the team can improve, others assumed responsibilities such as leading warm-ups or stick-work drills. Regardless of the task, each senior was invited to share her leadership skills with the team, exemplifying that every player has a talent to bring to the table and that the team is strongest when everyone brings what they have to offer.

Never must you be divided
For Bokker, unity starts with a family focus. “90% of our players are coming from the east coast”, she says, “and we put an emphasis on developing a family here.” Coaches attend the players’ non-lacrosse events, support their interests, and foster team friendships through costume and gingerbread house contests. “When we travel to the east coast we sometimes have a larger crowd than the team we’re playing, and we rarely make arrangements for dinner.” Trips to the east not only serve as homecomings, they also further emphasize the importance of team unity. Recalling a recent trip to one player’s family farm where “the team chased sheep and ate a crab feast,” Bokker reflects that such experiences are invaluable for team camaraderie: “the players gain a sense of each other’s background and up-bringing.”

In our ranks you move united!
Bokker’s teams all have a motto, a unifying creed that they create for themselves. The words remind the team of what they’re capable of, and represent the group’s effort to find a common goal. Last season the squad adopted Stanford Good as their appeal to a better self, and a reminder that the standards of their institution are as high as they need to shoot. When you’re surrounded by the best, you consider yourself to be the best, and in this way Standford athletes move together. The expectations are that you’ll excel in the classroom, win games, and positively contribute to the community. When Bokker first arrived at Stanford, she found herself swept up in the culture, proudly joining her players' commitment to supporting the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative, a community cause that she wouldn’t have known about had her service-oriented athletes not introduced her.

Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Amy Bokker’s move west may very well awaken a sleeping giant. While Stanford has always enjoyed regional prominence, it’s now taking its act on the road, inviting big-time programs to the table, and daring them to win. With NCAA glory on their minds, Bokker’s athletes are likely to surprise some teams in the not-too-distant future. While University of Florida, Northwestern, and Maryland seem to be grabbing headlines, perhaps the ever-quiet career of Bokker is the one to keep tabs on. Her teams may not be in the spotlight, they may not be getting a ton of press, but something’s going on, and if they have it their way the rest of the nation is going to know about it sooner than later.